The Present and Future of Diabetes Research

In a special report published on February 7 by the Journal of the American Association entitled “Forecasting Opportunities in Medical Research,” leaders in the medical research community outline the status of medical research today.

Jerrold M. Olefsky, MD, provides a summary of the current state of diabetes research and where he thinks it is heading.

Olefsky’s article, “Prospects for Research in Diabetes Mellitus,” notes where weaknesses in research lie, and how they should be remedied. He makes a plea for more funding, improvements to the medical infrastructure and the organization of public and private diabetes centers—all of which are actively being pursued by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Among his predictions about the future of diabetes research, Olefsky thinks:

Islet transplantation will provide a cure for type 1 diabetes.

Researchers will learn how to grow beta cells from progenitor or genetically engineered beta cells.

Prevention of type 1 diabetes will be achieved through the development of targeted treatment methods and the ability to identify those at-risk.

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